New variable power supplies for test currents with high amperage

REO’s test engineering division has developed REOLAB 220, a range of three-phase variable power supplies for test laboratories for high-strength, low-voltage alternating current. The devices deliver voltages of up to 10 V and currents of up to 10 kA (10,000 A), but can be customized according to customer requirements. REO UK supplies the REOLAB 220 devices to testing and quality assurance laboratories in the UK.

Heavy-current, low-voltage power supplies are used in test laboratories for various reasons. REOLAB 220 offers several advantages. The device regulates voltage fluctuations and enables manual or automatic setting of strength setpoints with a clean, sinusoidal output current in the entire setting range.

High-amperage AC current is often used to test fuses, cables, terminals, and other connections when testing at nominal or rated voltage is difficult or not necessary. By decreasing the voltage, the strength for a given power can be increased so that the tests can be performed more flexibly. Since the test voltage is usually below 50 V and is isolated from the mains by a voltage breakdown transformer, safety is guaranteed.

“ Testing fuses for quality assurance often requires a given amperage with little variation, ” said Steve Hughes, Managing Director of REO UK. ” With a fixed power supply, however, fluctuations can occur due to temperature, load regulation and input voltage .”

“ If the amperage is not automatically adjusted to compensate for these fluctuations, lengthy burn-in tests or storage tests can be delayed or even have to be repeated. With the REOLAB 220 devices, test laboratories can avoid these problems. The REO product range can be operated with a setpoint or fixed output value using a potentiometer or even via a fieldbus. Regardless of the load or input conditions, the control then takes place via this setting . ”

REO UK can either deliver just the devices themselves or a complete and turnkey package for integration into a quality assurance system. Our selection is not limited to alternating current with high amperage. High voltages of up to 8 kV with a maximum power limit of 1 MVA or 1000 kW can also be provided for direct current systems.